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Saturday, 2 November 2013

On trial: vapour

Somehow I have amassed a small collection of Vapour makeup samples. It was an interesting experiment trying this brand out as I haven't chosen any of these colours myself. I had some eye shadows, multi use blush, siren lipstick and a lip gloss.

Eye shadow. Normally a strictly powder girl, I have been swayed towards cream formulations when I discovered RMS. I am so impressed with this formulation. One thing to remember with these is to warm it up on the back of your hand ( or with your finger, if you want to save some product). You need to give some time for oils and butters to melt a little and create a perfect creamy texture, then you can glide it on directly from the tube (otherwise you will be just dragging the skin on your eyelids, causing discomfort and wrinkles).

Amber. This is a sparkly dark brown ( looks like dark chocolate with fine glitter). When applied you can use it just as wash of colour for a hint of smokiness or build it up to be quiet dark and intense.

Now I am a bit funny about brown shadows, on the one hand I have blue eyes and browns offset them marvellously, on the other hand I find them a little boring and some shades can make you look fatigued. This colour does not have red undertones, so it is one of the flattering browns. I try not to have more than two shadows in similar colour, and at the moment I have three browns. So this one is going on the approved list for possible future purchases.

Cinder. Now this one is a hidden gem. It is a sort of shimmery beige, with very slight hint of pink colour. When applied, it instantly brightens up your eyes, transforming them from tired to sparkling with vitality. I would have never have chosen this colour myself (clearly a mistake on my part) thinking it a little safe. After seeing the effect of this eye shadow, I can assure you that my makeup collection has been updated to include some nude shades.

Overall this has become my favourite brand for cream eye shadows. I have already purchased a couple, and have my eye on a few more. They feel very comfortable on my eyes, don't irritate them whatsoever and they only start to crease after about 7-8 hours (and that's without any extra steps of priming beforehand or powder on top).

Aura Multi Use Blush. This is a cream blush that you can use as eye shadow and lip colour. I can tell you that I did not like the feel of it on my lips (it might be because both samples I have are a shimmer formula), but they do feel very comfortable on the eyes.

Starlet. This is a beautiful pink shade with pearly shimmery effect. The colour is stunning, just like slightly flushed cheeks (and if not for the shimmer it would look totally natural). I just can't get over how good it looks. The shimmer has more of a pearl effect rather than sparkle, which I like. I think it would be a good option for a night out or maybe in winter (basically times with not a great amount of sunshine)

Intrigue. This has all the same qualities as Starlet but instead of a pink this is more of a coral. And where I would find Starlet a little too pink to put on as eye shadow, intrigue looks gorgeous. A gorgeous multi stick for summer.

Overall I really like the formulation of the blushes and I have my eye on the shimmerless version in Courtesan ( I prefer my blush products without sparkle). But I do really like the effect of Intrigue, so I might get it in the summer.

Siren lipstick. These were a pleasant surprise. I wasn't to keen on the way they looked in the pots, or when I swatched them on my arm. Yet on the lips they looked so good. They feel moisturising but still nicely pigmented, and look very flattering.

Tempt. this is a sort of mauve pink. One of those your lips but slightly brighter more vibrant colours. I am just starting to appreciate a toned down lip (but no I am not giving up my red lipstick completely) and this shade is on top of the list for a more neutral look.

Saucy. This is a toned down coral shade. One word, sublime. I am a huge fan of warmer colours and this one ticks all the boxes. It happens to be brightening and understated at the same time. You can probably tell that it will be becoming part of my collection.

Overall I had very low expectations of these lipsticks. It just proves how wrong first impressions can be. They are very long lasting ( I find that I only need to reapply after eating/drinking, but I'm sure if I took smaller bites it could survive it) and have a wonderful finish (almost like you just have colour on and not lipstick). All the colours look really great, and I would love to try them all at some point, but Saucy and Courage are going to be the ones I will get first.

Elixir plumping lip gloss. I very rarely buy lip glosses nowadays. Just sort of fell out of love with them. I did like the way this one looked and felt but it is not a product I would purchase myself. However if it was a gift from someone I would most definitely use it. If you like lip glosses, this one is very good quality.

Pout. This is a nude colour with very fine almost imperceptible shimmer. It looks truly gorgeous when it catches the light. I also found that it was really nicely pigmented. And to top it all off, it wasn't sticky or have any unpleasant smell (yes even natural glosses don't always smell nice), in fact it didn't seem to have any fragrance, and I actually appreciate it in a colour lip product. I do like my lip balms to have a scent but not my lipstick, it just gets too much.

I have been pleasantly surprised by Vapour. I was all set and had my favourites for pretty much every make up category. These samples have been a game changer. Just need to free up some space in my make-up bag (ok I mean bags, most girls have more than one right?)

8 comments:

This was really helpful, I ordered a lippy sample from Naturisimo but got one of the eye shadows, from your swatches it looks like I got Ember by accident. I love the multi-use stick in courtesan again a sample but lovely. The samples are a great way of testing the colours out without breaking the bank. Xx

so pleased it was helpful :) I got sent these with some orders from content, honestly wasn't even considering vapour, but I am so pleased I got them now, and you only need very little of the product. That is annoying about your sample, but yes it is a handy way to test the colours xx

I also have quite a collection of Vapour samples hehe. I'm absolutely in love with my Vapour eyshadow in shade 611 "Mesmerize" and Flash in "602" I'm glad I found your post, because I haven't tried most samples you have shown. I'm really impressed by how beautiful "saucy" turned out out to look. Very informative post, loved it :-) xoxo Liz

Ha ha I knew I couldn't be the only one collecting all their samples :) 611 is one of the two shadows that I purchased myself, will do a post on them very soon. I am so pleased you like the post! I think you really need to put vapour products on before making up your mind, as they look so different in the pan than they do on the skin. Xx

I remember liking their cream eyeshadows samples and I really like that they are drier in consistency than RMS. That pinky-nude beige shade looks so lovely, I really need to get that. I think that their lipsticks are so understated, I really love their consistency and fruity taste, so good! I might even like them better than Ilia lip conditioners.. I just love how creamy they apply!

Oh cinder eye shadow will look great on you! I was a bit skeptical about the lipsticks at first, like how could anything be as good as ilia? But these really are great! The finish is very unique, I like them both equally I think, but for different reasons :) any time, I do so love to tempt :) xx